Pneumatic stripping of carding engines



g 20, 1963 A. H. MILNES PNEUMATIC STRIPPING OF CARDING ENGINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed D80. 5, 1960 FIG.1.

FIGS.

INVENTOR:

ALFRED HALLETT MILNES ATTORNEY.

Aug. 20, 1963 A. H. MILNES PNEUMATIC STRIPPING OF CARDING ENGINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec 5, 1960 FIG2.

INVENTOR:

ALFRED HALLETT Ml LNES ATTORNEY.

Aug. 20, 1963 A. H. MILNES 3, 0,

PNEUMATIC STRIPPING OF CARDING ENGINES Filed Dec. 5, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 lNVENTOR:

ALFRED HALLETT MILNES ATTORNEY.

Aug. 1953 A. H. MILNES 3,100,914

PNEUMATIC STRIPPING OF CARDING ENGINES Filed Dec. 5, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 36 379 35 as Ar 39 :g 38 25 l I 5 I] 28 21 17 of i FIGA.

INVENTOR:

ALFRED HALLETT MILNES ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,106,914 PNEUMATIC STRIPPING 0F CARDING ENGINES Alfred Hallett Milnes, Buildwas, near Ironhridge, England, assiguor to @oolre dz tlompany, Manchester, Limitetl, Manchester, Lancashire, England Filed Dec. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 73,622 Claims priority, application Great Britain Dec. 12, 1959 4 Qlaims. (Cl. 191tl9) This invention concerns textile carding engines, and is more particularly concerned with pneumatic apparatus for stripping the card surfaces thereof.

It is desirable, in cotton spinning processes, to obtain ribbons or sliver of constant weight for further processing, and with prior known apparatus employed for stripping the cylinders and dofiers, which apparatus is rendered operative at predetermined intervals for stripping, the carding engine output varies according to whether or not stripping is in process, and also for a certain period after stripping has taken place and until the card clothing has been recharged with cotton.

An object of this invention is to eliminate this dimculty, so as to provide, from one or a plurality of carding engines, a constant output, and with this object in view the present invention provides pneumatic card stripping apparatus in a carding engine installation comprising one or a bank of carding engines characterised in that said stripping ap paratus comprises a traversing suction nozzle arrangement and control means controlling the operation of such nozzle arrangement so that stripping is eifected continuously and progressively over one small area of the entire cylinder or doffer surface of the installation, thereby to provide for a substantially constant output from theinstallation.

As applied to an installation comprising a single carding engine, there may advantageously be a single nozzle arrangement which, in operation, traverses continuously slowly from end to end of the cylinder or dotfer of the engine.

Where the installation comprises a plurality of carding engines, the stripping apparatus preferably comprises, for each engine, a single suction nozzle for stripping the cylinder or doiier thereof, the control means controlling the operation and traverse of said nozzles so that only one nozzle is operative at any one time, the nozzles being rendered operative to strip each engine in turn in a stripping cycle, the cycle being repeated continuously all the time the engines are in operation.

With such arrangement, stripping is efiected continuously during the whole of the time the carding engines are in operation, and since one engine only is being partially stripped at any one time, then the aggregate output of the engines remains substantially constant.

The control means may advantageously be in the form of a solenoid or other electrical or mechanical device associated with and operable by each traversing nozzle at the end of its stripping traverse so as to cause the next nozzle to commence its traverse.

The nozzles are preferably each traversed by a doublehel-ical screw each adapted to be driven through a clutch which is engageable and disengageable by the respective control means.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in.

which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a bank of carding engines according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front View corresponding to FIG. 1; 7

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail showing part of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail showing part of FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic partial plan view, partly in section, of one of the engines of the installation; and

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram corresponding to the arrangement of FIGS. 1 to 5.

For convenience, certain parts have been omitted from each of the figures, each figure showing only sufi'icient parts to enable the invention to be understood.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, there is provided, in a carding engine installation comprising a bank or plurality of carding engines of which only one, 10, is shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. FIG. 2 shows the same carding engine 16 together with part of the next adjacent engine 10a, and in the complete installation there will be a convenient practical number of such engines, for instance 12.

Each carding engine comprises, conventionally, a cylinder 13 surfaced with card clothing 14- (not shown in FIG. 5) and a :dofler 15 having its card clothing 16. The cylinder 13 and dofier 15 are rotatably mounted, upon a machine frame 17, so that the card clothing 16 of the doffer 15 interengages with the card clothing 14 of the cylinder 13- so as to doif the fibrous cotton web (indicated diagrammatically at 16a in FIG. 5) passing over the cylinder 13 for carding and to feed it over guides 18 to feed 01f or condenser rollers 19 mounted forward of the doifer 15. The feed off or condenser rollers 19 and their supporting mounting Zila (FIG. 1) have been omitted from FIG. 2, and the mounting 20a has been omitted from FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, supported from the frame 17 are a pair of stubs 20 each supporting a short upright 21 whereon is mounted a horizontal bearing 22, most clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Rotatably journalled in the bearings 22 is a traversing mechanism comprising a double helical screw 23 of conventional form. This screw 23 is hollow and has disposed therein a driving spindle 24- to which the screw 23 is coupled. On one end of the spindle 2.4 is a driving pulley 25 coupled to one part 26 of a dog clutch of which the other part 27 is splined on the spindle 24 and axially slidable thereon, by means of a right-angled operating member 28 which is pivotally secured by one arm (not visible in FIG. 4) to the adjacent upright 21 so that such arm projects radially therefrom, the other arm of which operating member 28 is pivotally secured through a sliding connection to the part 27, between the engaged position illustrated in FIG. 4 (wherein the spindle 24 is coupled with the pulley 25) and a disengaged position wherein the pulley 25 is uncoupled from the spindle 24. The pulley 25 is belt driven from a pulley 29 (FIG. 3), provided on shaft 29a of the doffer 15.

Mounted upon the double helical screw 23 is a traversing carriage comprising a sleeve 30 to which is connected .a hollow body 31 providing mountings for a cylinder suction nozzle 32 which extends towards and terminates very close to the card clothing 14 of the cylinder 13 and a doflFer suction nozzle 33 which extends downwards and terminates very close to the card clothing 16 of the dofier 15. Thus, when the spindle 24 and the double helical screw are rotated the carriage and the nozzles 32, 33 are displaced respectively along the cylinder 13 and doffer 15, parallel to the axes thereof, from end to end thereof.

Also connecting with the body 31 is a. suction connection 34 to which is attached a flexible pressure hose 35a (FIG. 3) which is coupled to a vacuum pump (not shown). Separating the suction connection 34 from the body 31 is a slide valve 35, of which the slide 36' extends and is slidable parallel to the double helical screw 23. The ends of the slide 3'6 co-operate with valve operating levers 37a, 3712 each pivoted at 38 upon a respective lateral arm 39 formed integrally with the body 31, these levers 37 each being accommodated in a slot (not visible) in the respective end of the slide 36. The lower protruding ends 4-3 of the levers 37 each lie in alignment with abutmerits 41, d2 adiustably carried upon threaded studs 43 secured into respective lugs 44 provided one at each end of the double helical screw 23 adjacent to and fast with the respective bearing 22.

Also carried by the machine frame 17 is a piecing-up device comprising a pressure casing 17a (see particularly FIGS. 3 and 5) which is either connected to a source of compressed or incorporates a fan or blower (not visibio) and has a piecing-up nozzle 17b extending therefrom to a position li'c adjacent one end of the dotier 16 between the latter and the guides 13, slightly below the level of the guides 13. The purposes of this device will be described later.

Referring to FIG. 6, this figure indicates at 50c, Stlb and Sllx the'circuit associated with three of the carding engines Hi, the part indicated at ddz corresponding to the requisite additional circuits necessary to correspond with the number of carding engines in the installation, it being appreciated that each such circuit at Silz will correspond precisely to the circuits Silo, 50b and Silx.

Each circuit includes a solenoid 51a, 51b, 51x, which acts upon the operating arm 28 of the respective carding engine It and serves, upon ener-gisation, to move the arm 28 and so as to engage the corresponding dog clutch 26, 27, the solenoid serving also to displace an associated relay element indicated at-52a, 52b, 52x, controlling respective solenoid-energising switches 53a, 53b, 53x, which serve, when closed, to energise their respective solenoids from supply leads 54, 55. Each carding engine has a trip switch 56a, 56b, 56x (which, in the embodiment of FlGS. 1 to 4 may be constituted by the abutment 42), each of which is loaded to the open position illustrated. Each solenoid operating switch 53a, 53b, 53x, is associated with a respective de-energising switch (not shown in the respective circuit diagram) which serves to de-energise the respective solenoid 51a, 51b, 51x. Each such de-energising switch may be constituted by the respective abutment 41. In the circuit is a starting switch 57, closure of which serves to short-circuit the solenoid energising switch 53a.

The operation of the installation will be appreciated from the foregoing. Assuming each spindle 24 of each carding engine it to be driven, upon closure of the starting switch 57, the solenoid 51a of the first carding engine is energised so as to engage the corresponding dog clutch 26, 27, so that the carriage and nozzles 32, 33 of the first carding engine commences its traverse across the respective cylinder 13 and dotfer 15 to clear the latter, the piecing-in device 17a, 17b, 17c serving to piece-in the resultant broken part of the cotton web by blowing it towards the remainder of the web 16a which is passing to the guides 18.

When the carriage has moved across the full width of the cylinder and doffer (i.e, from the right hand position shown in FIG. 2 to the corresponding left hand position) the relative lever protrusion '40 engages the abutment 42 which constitutes also the trip switch 56a, so that:

(l) The, slide 36 of the slide valve is displaced to out oh" the suction to the nozzles 32 and 33 of the first carding engine 10, and

(2) The solenoid Slbof the next adjacent carding engine is energised, so that its clutch 26, 27 is engaged and traverse of its nozzles is cemented in exactly the same way as those of the first nozzles.

The double helical screw 23 of the first carding engine 1% now commences returning the carriage of the first cardingengine towards its initial position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and therefore disengaging the protrusion 40 from the abutment 42, so permitting the trip switch 56a to open. However, the solenoid 51b remains energised by reason of its having closed its associated solenoid energising switch 5311,10- that clearing traverse of the carriage of the second carding engine continues whilst the carriage of the first carding engine returns to its initial position.

When the latter carriage reaches its aforesaid initial position, the relative lever protrusion do engages the respective abutment 4-1 so de-energising the respective solenoid 51a and disengaging the clutch 2s, 27 of the first carding engine, so that its carriage comes to rest with the slide 36 of its slide valve 35 returned to its illustrated open position. The nozzles 32, 33 are just clear of the respective card clothing surfaces, so that the suction existing at the nozzles does not affect the respective cylinder 13 and doffer 15.

The operations occurring at each successive carding engine are substantially the same as those just described,

so that after starting the traverse of the first carriage, each carriage is caused, in turn, to affect a stripping traverse across its corresponding cylinder and doiler and then to return to its initial position, the return of each carriage occurring during the stripping traverse of the next adjacent carriage, the commencement of which is initiated as a result of the preceding carriage reaching the end of its stripping traverse.

it will be appreciated that when the last carding engine of the bank has been stripped (solenoid 51x then being energised) the strip switch 56x will be closed to reenergise the solenoid 51a, so that the stripping cycle tiroughout the whole bank of carding engines repeats itself, and will continue repeating itself until such time as the cur-rent supply is cut off from the leads 54, 55 (e.g. by main switch 61) or until drive to the machine is discontinued.

Thus, during operation of the machines, there will always be one nozzle stripping the cylinder and the dofier, over a very small portion thereof (the rat of the respective engine remaining unaifected) so that, in a cycle of stripping each engine is stripped in turn and the cycle is then repeated.

,W-ith a bank of twelve or more carding engines as de scribed, stripping of each engine will, for example, be effected every two hours (or at any desired interval) which is the normal period for carding engines.

Piecing up of the web of the cylinder or dolfer being stripped can be effected by air blast from the nozzle 1712 or by guide plates (not shown) to displace the separated web back respectively into the doiier or into the ribbon passing to the guide 18.

The invention is not confined to the precise details of the illustrated example, and variations may be made thereto. For instance, although the example concerns a carding installation comprising a bank of carding engines, the invention is equally applicable to a single carding engine 10.

ously back and forth slowly, thereby stripping both the cylinder and the dolier continuously over an appropriately small area of each, these areas moving progressively irom end to end of the dofier and cylinder.

What I claim is:

1. A textile cardinginstallation having one carding engine comprising, a carding cylinder and a d-ofiing cylinder, pneumatic card stripping apparatus including a suction nozzle arrangement traversable over said carding and dotting cylinders to apply suction thereto, a respective suction nozzle for each said cylinder, a rotatable double helical screw which on rotation causes said nozzle arrangement to traverse said cylinders, a solenoid operated dog clutch, said screw being rotated by a drive from said carding cylinder through said solenoid operated dog clutch, said solenoid operated dog clutch being energized to commence a stripping operation, control means controlling the traverse of said suction nozzle arrangement and the application of suction to said carding and doffingcylinders, a vacuum pipe, said control means including two-position valve tnaversable with the nozzle In this instance, the stripping nozzle ar-' rangement will be controlled so as to traverse continw' arrangement for connecting said nozzle arrangement to said vacuum pipe, an abutment at each end of traverse of said two-position valve, said two-position valve being actuated on contact with said abutments, said control means operating in such manner that suction is applied in only one direction of traverse of the nozzle arrangement so that stripping of said carding cylinder is effected evenly and a substantially constant output is obtained thenefrom, and a piecing up device for piecing up a web broken due to cylinder stripping and comprising a nozzle means for blowing compressed air at a web of carded fibers as said web leaves the dofling cylinder for blowing the broken part of the web toward the remainder of the web following the suction operation of said card stripping apparatus. t

2. A textile carding installation having a bank of carding engines, each engine comprising a carding cylinder and pneumatic card 'stripping apparatus including a suction nozzle arrangement traversable over its respective carding cylinder to apply suction thereto, a rotatable double helical screw for each carding engine, said screw,

, on rotation, causing its respective nozzle arrangement to traverse its respective carding cylinder, a solenoid operated dog clutch, said screw being rotated through said solenoid operated dog clutch =from the drive of its re spective carding cylinder, there beingcontrol means for controlling the traverse of each of said suction nozzle arrangements and the application of suction to the re speotive carding cylinders, a common vacuum pipe, said control means including a respective two position valve for connecting each nozzle arrangement to said common vacuum pipe, said valves each being mounted for traverse, with its respective nozzle arrangement, an abutment at each end of traverse of each respective valve, each of said valves being actuated on contact with its respective abutments, an energizing circuit, contact of each of said valves with a respective abutment at the end of its traverse in one direction serving to complete said circuit to energize said dog clutch solenoid of the next of said carding engines to initiate the traverse of the nozzle arrangement thereof, said control means operating in such manner that each suction nozzle arrangement, in .ur-n, applies suction to its respective carding cylinder only in one direction of the traverse of said nozzle arrangement, so that the stripping of the carding cylinders is. effected evenly and a substantially constant output of sliver is obtained from the bank of carding engines.

3. A textile carding installation having a bank or" carding engines, each engine comprising a carding cylinder and a dofling cylinder and pneumatic card stripping apparatus including a suction nozzle arrangement traversable over its respective carding and dofiing cylinders to apply suction thereto, a respective suction nozzle for each said cylinder, a rotatable double helical screw for each carding engine, said screw, on rotation, causing its respective nozzle arrangement to traverse its respective carding and doffing cylinders, a solenoid operated dog clutch, said screw being rotated through said solenoid operated dog clutch from the drive of its respective carding cylinders, there being control means for controlling the traverse of each of said suction nozzle arrangements and the application of suction to the respective carding and dotting cylinders, a common vacuum pipe, said courol means including a respective two position valve for connecting each nozzle arrangement to said common vacuum pipe, said valves each being mounted for traverse with its respective nozzle arrangement, an abutment at each end of traverse of each respective valve, each of said valves being actuated on contact with its respective abutments, an energizing circuit, contact of each of said valves with a respective abutment at the end of its traverse in one direction serving to complete said circuit to energize said dog clutch solenoid of the next of said carding engines to initiate the traverse of the nozzle arrangement thereof, said control means operating in such manner that each suction nozzle arrangement in turn, applies suction to its respective carding and dofiing cylinders only in one direction of the traverse of said nozzle arrangement, so that the stripping of the carding and dofiing cylinders is effected evenly and a substantially constant output or sliver is obtained from the bank of carding engines.

4. A textile carding installation having a bank of carding engines, each engine comprising a carding cylinder and a doiiing cylinder and pneumatic card stripping apparatus including a suction nozzle arrangement traversable over its respective carding and dofling cylinders to apply suction thereto, a respective suction nozzle for each of said cylinders, a rotatable double helical screw for each carding engine, said screw, on rotation, causing its respective nozzle arrangement to traverse its respective carding and ooffing cylinders, a solenoid operated dog clutch, said screw being rotated through said solenoid operated dog clutch from the drive of its respective carding cylinder, there being control means for controlling the traverse of each of said suction nozzle arrangements and the application of suction to the respective carding and dofiin-g cylinders, a common vacuum pipe, said control means including a respective two position valve for connecting each of said nozzle arrangements to said common vacuum pipe, said valves each being mounted for traverse with its respective nozzle arrangement, an abutment at each end of traverse of each respective valve, each of said valves being actuated on contact with its respective abutments, an energizing circuit, contact of each of said valves with a respective abutment at the end of its traverse in one direction serving to complete said circuit to energize said dog clutch solenoid of the next of said carding engines to initiate the traverse of the nozzle arrangement thereof, said control means operating in such manner that each suction nozzle arrangement, in turn, applies suction to its respective carding and dofling cylinders only in one direction of the traverse of said nozzle arrangement, so that the stripping of the carding and dofiing cylinders is ciiected evenly and a substantially constant output of sliver is obtained from the bank carding engines, and a respective piecing-up device for each of said carding engines, each of said devices comprising a nozzle arranged to blow compressed air at a web of carded fibers as said web leaves the dofiing cylinder so as to piece-up said web broken because of the stripping of the respective cylinders.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,160,825 Birchall Nov. 16, 1915 2,343,787 Martin Mar. 7, 1944 2,464,425 White Mar. 15, 1949 2,779,063 Vaughan et a1 Jan. 29, 1957 2,823,423 Suzuki Feb. 18, 1958 2,910,736 Clark Nov. 3, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 691,186 Great Britain May 6, 1953 

4. A TEXTILE CARDING INSTALLATION HAVING A BANK OF CARDING ENGINES, EACH ENGINE COMPRISING A CARDING CYLINDER AND A DOFFING CYLINDER AND PNEUMATIC CARD STRIPPING APPARATUS INCLUDING A SUCTION NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT TRAVERSABLE OVER ITS RESPECTIVE CARDING AND DOFFING CYLINDERS TO APPLY SUCTION THERETO, A RESPECTIVE SUCTION NOZZLE FOR EACH OF SAID CYLINDERS, A ROTATABLE DOUBLE HELICAL SCREW FOR EACH CARDING ENGINE, SAID SCREW, ON ROTATION, CAUSING ITS RESPECTIVE NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT TO TRAVERSE ITS RESPECTIVE CARDING AND DOFFING CYLINDERS, A SOLENOID OPERATED DOG CLUTCH, SAID SCREW BEING ROTATED THROUGH SAID SOLENOID OPERATED DOG CLUTCH FROM THE DRIVE OF ITS RESPECTIVE CARDING CYLINDER, THERE BEING CONTROL MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE TRAVERSE OF EACH OF SAID SUCTION NOZZLE ARRANGEMENTS AND THE APPLICATION OF SUCTION TO THE RESPECTIVE CARDING AND DOFFING CYLINDERS, A COMMON VACUUM PIPE, SAID CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING A RESPECTIVE TWO POSITION VALVE FOR CONNECTING EACH OF SAID NOZZLE ARRANGEMENTS TO SAID COMMON VACUUM PIPE, SAID VALVES EACH BEING MOUNTED FOR TRAVERSE WITH ITS RESPECTIVE NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT, AN ABUTMENT AT EACH END OF TRAVERSE OF EACH RESPECTIVE VALVE, EACH OF SAID VALVES BEING ACTUATED ON CONTACT WITH ITS RESPECTIVE ABUTMENTS, AN ENERGIZING CIRCUIT, CONTACT OF EACH OF SAID VALVES WITH A RESPECTIVE ABUTMENT AT THE END OF ITS TRAVERSE IN ONE DIRECTION SERVING TO COMPLETE SAID CIRCUIT TO ENERGIZE SAID DOG CLUTCH SOLENOID OF THE NEXT OF SAID CARDING ENGINES TO INITIATE THE TRAVERSE OF THE NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT THEREOF, SAID CONTROL MEANS OPERATING IN SUCH MANNER THAT EACH SUCTION NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT, IN TURN, APPLIES SUCTION TO ITS RESPECTIVE CARDING AND DOFFING CYLINDERS ONLY IN ONE DIRECTION OF THE TRAVERSE OF SAID NOZZLE ARRANGEMENT, SO THAT THE STRIPPING OF THE CARDING AND DOFFING CYLINDERS IS EFFECTED EVENLY AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT OUTPUT OF SILVER IS OBTAINED FROM THE BANK CARDING ENGINES, AND A RESPECTIVE PIECING-UP DEVICE FOR EACH OF SAID CARDING ENGINES, EACH OF SAID DEVICES COMPRISING A NOZZLE ARRANGED TO BLOW COMPRESSED AIR AT A WEB OF CARDED FIBERS AS SAID WEB LEAVES THE DOFFING CYLINDER SO AS TO PIECE-UP SAID WEB BROKEN BECAUSE OF THE STRIPPING OF THE RESPECTIVE CYLINDERS. 